International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research  |  e-ISSN: 2582-8940  |  Double-Blind Peer Review  |  Open Access  |  CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Current Issues
     2026:7/4

International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research

e-ISSN: 2582-8940 | Open Access

Association of Central Macular Thickness with Severity of Diabetic Retinopathy: An Optical Cohorence Based-Cross Sectional Study

Dr. Meghna Ghodarope, Dr. Uzma Pervin, Dr. Kushagra Varshney, Dr. Shubham Prakash Singh, Dr. Somesh Ranjan, Dr. Sarita Aggarwal

PG 3rd Year, Department of Ophthalmology, Santosh Deemed to be University, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India; Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Santosh Deemed to be University, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India; MBBS, MS (Ophthalmology), Professor and Head, Department of Ophthalmology, Santosh Deemed to be University, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

Article Information

Volume / Issue7 / 3 (July-August 2026)
Pages219-223
AccessOpen Access

Publication Timeline

  • Received11 June 2026
  • Accepted09 July 2026
  • Published

Full Text (PDF)

Open Access - Free to Download

Download Full Article (PDF) JATS XML

Abstract

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of preventable blindness, with macular involvement being the primary determinant of visual impairment. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides an objective, non-invasive method for evaluating central macular thickness (CMT) and detecting early macular changes.
Aim: To assess changes in central macular thickness in diabetics with different stages of diabetic retinopathy using optical coherence tomography.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted over a period of 18 months. A total of 114 patients were evaluated. Comprehensive ophthalmic examination, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fundus evaluation, and OCT-based CMT measurement were performed. Diabetic retinopathy was staged as mild, moderate, severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Statistical analysis included one-way ANOVA and chi-square tests.
Results: The mean CMT showed a progressive increase with severity of diabetic retinopathy: mild NPDR (240.2 ± 20.2 µm), moderate NPDR (277.2 ± 8.8 µm), severe NPDR (308.7 ± 5.9 µm), and PDR (308.8 ± 19.4 µm), which was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Diabetic macular edema was significantly associated with advanced stages of DR (p < 0.001). Higher CMT values were observed with increasing age, poor glycemic control, and male gender.
Conclusion: Central macular thickness increases significantly with advancing stages of diabetic retinopathy. OCT-measured CMT is a reliable and objective parameter for early detection and assessment of macular involvement, facilitating timely intervention and prevention of vision loss.
 

Keywords

Diabetic RetinopathyMacular EdemaRetinal ThicknessTomography Optical Coherence

References

  1. Tyagi A, Chander A. A comparative study to analyse the changes in central macular thickness in diabetics with different stages of diabetic retinopathy. Int J Acad Med Pharm. 2023;5(2):953 -957. doi:10.47009/jamp.2023.5.2.203. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  2. Negi A, Vernon SA. An overview of the eye in diabetes. J R Soc Med. 2003;96(6):266-272. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  3. McKay R, McCarty CA, Taylor HR. Diabetic retinopathy in Victoria, Australia: the visual impairment project. Br J Ophthalmol. 2000;84(8):865-870. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  4. Hautala N, Aikkila R, Korpelainen J, Keskitalo A, Kurikka A, Falck A, et al. Marked reductions in visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy achieved by efficient screening and timely treatment. Acta Ophthalmol. 2014;92(6):582-587. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  5. Scholl S, Kirchhof J, Augustin AJ. Pathophysiology of macular edema. Ophthalmologica. 2010;224 Suppl 1:8-15. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  6. Romero-Aroca P. Targeting the pathophysiology of diabetic macular edema. Diabetes Care. 2010;33(11):2484-2485. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  7. Das A, McGuire PG, Rangasamy S. Diabetic macular edema: pathophysiology and novel therapeutic targets. Ophthalmology. 2015;122(7):1375-1394. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  8. Jaffe GJ, Caprioli J. Optical coherence tomography to detect and manage retinal disease and glaucoma. Am J Ophthalmol. 2004;137(1):156-169. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  9. Bong A, Doughty MJ, Button NF, Mansfield DC. On the relationship between visual acuity and central retinal (macular) thickness after interventions for macular oedema in diabetics: a review. Clin Exp Optom. 2016;99(6):491-497. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  10. Ghazi NG, Kirk T, Allam S, Yan G. Quantification of error in optical coherence tomography central macular thickness measurement in wet age-related macular degeneration. Am J Ophthalmol. 2009;148(1):90-96. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  11. Browning D, Glassman A, Aiello L, Beck R, Brown D, Fong D, et al. Relationship between optical coherence tomography measured central retinal thickness and visual acuity in diabetic macular edema. Ophthalmology. 2007;114(3):525-536. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2006.06.052. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  12. Klein BEK. Overview of epidemiologic studies of diabetic retinopathy. Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 2007;14(4):179-183. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  13. Yang C, Cheng C, Lee F, Hsu W, Liu J. Quantitative assessment of retinal thickness in diabetic patients with and without clinically significant macular edema using optical coherence tomography. Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 2001;79(3):266-270. doi:10.1034/j.1600 -0420.2001.790311.x. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  14. Goebel W, Kretzchmar-Gross T. Retinal thickness in diabetic retinopathy: a study using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Retina. 2002;22:759 -767. doi:10.1097/00006982-200212000-00012. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  15. Lattanzio R, Brancato R, Pierro L, Bandello F, Iaccheri B, Fiore T, et al. Macular thickness measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in diabetic patients. Eur J Ophthalmol. 2002;12:482 -487. doi:10.1177/112067210201200606. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  16. Pokhrel U, Pradhan E, Thakuri R, Pokhrel K, Paudyal G. Comparison of central macular thickness between diabetic patients without clinical retinopathy and non-diabetic patients. Nepal J Ophthalmol. 2022;14(28):41-48. doi:10.3126/nepjoph.v14i2.40259. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  17. Pradhan N, Ranjan R, Dubey G, Ali J, Sharma P, Pal S, et al. Macular thickness comparison in type II diabetic patients using optical coherence tomography: a case control study. Indian J Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2024;10(2):230-236. doi:10.18231/j.ijceo.2024.042. [Google Scholar][Crossref]

How to Cite

Ghodarope, M., Pervin, U., Varshney, K., Singh, S. P., Ranjan, S., & Aggarwal, S. (2026). Association of Central Macular Thickness with Severity of Diabetic Retinopathy: An Optical Cohorence Based-Cross Sectional Study. International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research, 7(3), 219-223. https://doi.org/10.54660/IJMBHR.2026.7.3.219-223

Ghodarope, Meghna, et al. "Association of Central Macular Thickness with Severity of Diabetic Retinopathy: An Optical Cohorence Based-Cross Sectional Study." International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research, vol. 7, no. 3, 2026, pp. 219-223. https://doi.org/10.54660/IJMBHR.2026.7.3.219-223.

Ghodarope, M., Pervin, U., Varshney, K., Singh, S. P., Ranjan, S. and Aggarwal, S. (2026) 'Association of Central Macular Thickness with Severity of Diabetic Retinopathy: An Optical Cohorence Based-Cross Sectional Study', International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research, 7(3), pp. 219-223. doi: 10.54660/IJMBHR.2026.7.3.219-223.

Ghodarope M, Pervin U, Varshney K, Singh SP, Ranjan S, Aggarwal S. Association of Central Macular Thickness with Severity of Diabetic Retinopathy: An Optical Cohorence Based-Cross Sectional Study. International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research. 2026;7(3):219-223. doi:10.54660/IJMBHR.2026.7.3.219-223

Similar Articles

Share

Find this Article on

Google Scholar Semantic Scholar OpenAlex Scilit Crossref ResearchGate BASE

A newly published article may take a few days to appear on these services.